International Day against Nuclear Tests

Dear Mr. Ciobanu,
Dear Mr. Ambassador,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

Today’s event is of particular significance. Here, at UNOG, we all mark the International Day against Nuclear Tests. The resolution proposed in 2009 by Kazakhstan at the sixty-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly was adopted unanimously. The fact that this proposal won unanimous support reflects, on the one hand, the deep concern of the international community about the dangers posed by such tests; on the other hand, it shows the recognition of the great contribution of Kazakhstan and its leader, President Nursultan Nazarbayev, to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Last April, standing on ‘ground zero’ of the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon said: “In 1991, President Nazarbayev showed extraordinary leadership by closing this Semipalatinsk nuclear test site and banishing nuclear weapons from Kazakhstan. It was a visionary step, a true declaration of independence. Today, this site stands as a symbol of disarmament and hope for the future. To realize a world free from nuclear weapons is a top priority for the United Nations, and the most ardent aspiration of mankind.”

We should all remember the formidable consequences of nuclear tests. Since August 29, 1949, the day of the first nuclear test at Semipalatinsk, and during the next four decades, a total of 456 nuclear tests were carried out there. Nearly one and a half million people were affected by the consequences of nuclear testing, and an immense territory, comparable in size to Germany, has been contaminated with radiation.

The United Nations highly values the courageous act of Kazakhstan, which brought this newly-independent country into the community of civilized countries, and acknowledges its indispensable contribution to the disarmament process.

It was also very symbolic that eighteen years after the closure of the Semipalatinsk site, August 29 was declared by the United Nations as the International Day against Nuclear Tests.

I had the honour in my capacity as Foreign Minister to sign, on behalf of Kazahkstan, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1996. Today, 182 countries around the world have signed the treaty and 154 have ratified it. This testifies to the fact that the ongoing work of the CTBT Organization is actually nearing completion.

However, some States still abstain from signing and ratifying the CTBT and thus prevent its entry into force. Today reminds us to put our efforts together to convince the states, which have not yet signed or ratified the treaty, to do so.

The early entry into force of the CTBT will be one of the key areas of effective implementation of the treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the most important document upon which the security of all mankind rests.

A voluntary moratorium on nuclear testing observed by the nuclear powers today, though an important factor of nuclear security, cannot serve as an alternative to a legally binding document such as the CTBT.

The United Nations stands ready to provide its input to all the disarmament processes. It is one of the highest priorities, which is continuously on the agenda of the Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon. He personally addressed the Conference on Disarmament in January 2011, where he called on the members to put aside their differences to serve the global interest.

Now it has become clear that the quintessence of security does not lie in nuclear weapons but in peaceful foreign policy, internal stability, and sustainable economic development of a country.

At the United Nations, we appreciate that Kazakhstan, by showing the world an example of voluntary renunciation of nuclear weapons and full nuclear disarmament, still continues to participate actively in the global process of nonproliferation and building a world free from nuclear weapons.

I thank you for your attention.